The Guardians were next featured in Marvel Presents #3–12 (Feb. 1976 – Aug. 1977). This was followed by a series of appearances in Thor Annual #6 (1977), The Avengers #167–177 (Jan.–Nov. 1978) and #181 (March 1979), Ms. Marvel #23, Marvel Team-Up #86 (Oct. 1979), and Marvel Two-in-One #61-#63 & #69 (Nov. 1980).

In the early 1990s, the Guardians starred in a self-titled comic that ran for 62 issues. This series was initially written and illustrated by Jim Valentino. With issue #29 (Oct. 1992) Michael Gallagher commenced writing the title, and continued until its cancellation with issue #62 (July 1995). A spin-off four-issue miniseries, Galactic Guardians (July–Oct. 1994), followed.

Other original team members are Martinex T'Naga, a crystalline being from Pluto; Captain Charlie-27, a soldier from Jupiter; and Yondu Udonta, a blue-skinned "noble savage" from Centauri-IV (the fourth planet orbiting the star Alpha Centauri B). Each is apparently the last of their kind and they are forced to unite as a team against the actions of the Badoon, an alien race which attempts to conquer Earth's solar system.

During the course of the war against the Badoon, the team gains three more members - the mysterious husband and wife duo, Starhawk and Aleta, as well as Nikki, a genetically engineered young girl from Mercury seeking excitement in her life - and travel back in time, where they encounter several of the heroes of 20th century Earth, including Captain America and the Thing.[4]

The Guardians eventually defeat the Badoon, but soon find themselves facing a new foe called Korvac, who was in part a creation of the Badoon. After teaming with the Thunder God Thor to defeat Korvac in the 31st century,[5] the Guardians then follow Korvac to 20th century mainstream Earth, where together with the Avengers they fight a final battle.[6]

During their second mission, the team that was to become the Earth-616incarnation of the Guardians discover a time displaced Vance Astro in a block of ice floating in space. It is his introduction as "Major Victory of the Guardians of the Galaxy" that inspires the team to take up the name. In #7 and #16 of the series, it was revealed a great "error" in the present day has caused the future to be destroyed—Starhawk is constantly trying to prevent it by time travel, causing the future (and the Guardians) to be altered. Only Starhawk, who is changed with each reboot but is "one who knows" about the changes, realizes anything is different, but each change still ends in a cataclysm. In #17, the Guardians' future was a universe where only a small portion remained undestroyed, which had been taken over by the Badoon. A warning was sent to the present day, though at the cost of the universe being ended.

The Vance Astro of the modern-day Guardians is revealed to be a Major Victory from one of these altered futures, rather than the original. A second potential Vance Astro appears in #17.

In #18, a third version of the Guardians' future was shown: this time led by Killraven against the Martians.

^DeFalco, Tom; Gilbert, Laura, ed. (2008). "1960s". Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History. Dorling Kindersley. p. 134. ISBN978-0756641238. The Guardians of the Galaxy were a science-fiction version of the group from the movie Dirty Dozen (1967) and were created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Gene Colan.